The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against Veena Vijayan, daughter of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, her IT company, and others to investigate alleged illegal payments made by a private mineral firm to her and the company, according to official sources on Wednesday.
The federal agency has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is anticipated to summon the individuals involved, the sources stated.
The ED case has been filed after taking note of a complaint lodged by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), an investigative unit of the Union corporate affairs ministry, they added.
The case originates from an investigation conducted by the Income Tax Department, which alleged that a private company named Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd (CMRL) made an illegal payment of Rs 1.72 crore to Veena’s company– Exalogic Solutions– during 2018 to 2019, despite the IT firm not rendering any services to the company.
The Karnataka High Court had dismissed a petition filed by Exalogic Solutions against the investigation launched by the SFIO last month.